wedding bliss.

this topic comes with great news - it is entirely possible to attend a wedding, and even enjoy the food! venues have come a long way in terms of accomodating allergies, and well-trained chefs are often very aware of how to create great, delicious, gluten free food. here's the scoop:

1. call ahead. you'll want to call the venue, and leave the bride out of the equation at all costs. brides have enough on their mind leading up to a wedding, so don't make them the middle man if you can help it. the invitation should tell you where the reception is being held, and most venues come with a house catering company. bingo, that's who you call. if this isn't the case, or it's more of a family affair with an aunt doing the cooking, perhaps, find her contact info and give her a shout. you can do this anytime in the week leading up to the wedding. just like you would do if you were going out for dinner, clearly explain that you have a serious gluten allergy and you're wondering if there will be any gluten free food served at the reception. i have yet to attend a wedding that hasn't had multiple dishes that were gluten free. the important part, though, is to ask about the risk of contamination - how careful are they in the kitchen? do they often accomodate gluten free guests? if you don't feel comfortable with the answers, then you'll have to take care of food yourself. (ie. eat before, bring a snack in your purse, and enjoy safe beverages). if you do feel satisfied with the answers, ie. they have accommodated gluten free before, they are very careful about cross contamination, etc, then check out these next tips.

2. buffet or plated meal. if the meal is buffet style, the chef will either let you know which dishes are safe, or create a plated meal for you if he/she doesn't feel confident in the gf options in the buffet. if it's a plated meal, that is much easier! just make sure he/she is clear on your needs, and enjoy! likely you'll need to let a staff member know who you are when you arrive, and after that you'll be able to lay low and enjoy the party!

3. identify yourself. when you arrive at the reception, have a quick convo with a staff member and make sure you connect directly with the person in charge. this will be your go-to person for the evening, the one who will show you which items are safe to eat, if it is buffet style, or oversea the creating of your plated meal.

4. partake early.i'd highly recommend going up to the buffet as close to the beginning as possible. even if you don't know the bride &/or groom well, as soon as you can blend into the lineup, do it. here's why - the more people who go through the lineup, the greater the chances for cross contamination of even the gf food. when the guests put a roll on their plate first, and then a scoop of pasta salad, and then use a utensil from a gf dish and accidentally touch their pasta salad as they scoop the gf food onto their plate... as soon as that utensil goes back into the serving dish, its going to be contaminated. so the earlier the better, that way you can have some control over this.

5. be cool.heed this warning about how you navigate the social scene at this event - play it cool. the whole event doesn't need to know about your gluten free needs, just the staff member in charge and likely the couple people sitting around you as they see you going to the buffet early, or foregoing the bun. i can assure you that there are way more interesting things about you, and the people at your table, than the fact that you're gluten free. of course answer the questions that may arise, but otherwise enjoy the night!

6. bring your own spoon. this is a small thing to do, but it makes a world of difference. scoop out of the back of the dish, the untouched portion of it to be safe. if it is a gf dish, and hasn't been touched by any possibly-contaminated utensils yet, go for it with your own spoon!

7. take firsts & seconds the first round. this is your only chance to fill your boots - well, your belly. once everyone has gone through the buffet lineup, the quick-moving staff will have exchanged the serving dishes multiple times. each time they do this, they will take what's left in one dish, and add it to the new dish. this will spread the possible contamination everywhere, and your option for safely scooping from the untouched area is no long on the table. pun intended.

8. dessert. same story as the buffet, go early. you'll probably be shooting for fruit, as only the rare wedding serves gluten free options. nonetheless, check with the chef. if you're going for fruit, go early and bring your own fork. take pieces of fruit from the middle of the bunch, the ones least likely to have been touched by another guest or moved with a contaminated utensil. enjoy!

9. alcohol.you could keep it simple - go for wine, soda, or hard alcohol & soda. see the link below for safe drinks.

(copied from "going out to eat", alcohol). there is controversy out there about whether or not grain alcohols are okay for people with gluten troubles to consume. from the research i've done as well as my own trial and error, i'm on the side of the fence that says that the refining process in producing alcohol does rid them of the gluten. that being said, you still need to be wary - anything that has a flavor or a color added to it, could pose a problem. smartphones are a girl's (or guy's) best friend in this situation, simply google the name of the alcohol that you're wondering about along with the words "gluten free" and 9 times out of 10 you'll be able to figure out if that is safe for you. remember the rules though: make sure the information you're looking at links directly back to the company, either a blogger who has spoken personally with the company, or a company statement itself. and then, make sure it's recent - in the past year is the best, but truth be told i'll go as far back as the last two years and still feel okay about the information. manufacturers of anything can change the ingredients at anytime, so it's always good to check back in on these things as part of your yearly housekeeping. one list i like is: www.glutenfree-lifestyle.com

a couple more sneaky things about drinks - watch out for lemons, you never know where they were cut or who cut them. i opt for no lemon, all the time, to eliminate that risk. who knows what the bartender touched before they cut up the lemons? (get your minds out of the gutter, i'm talking about food ;) also, watch out for how they shake or stir your drink. if they do either in a container, or with a utensil, that has been contaminated and not properly cleaned, you're going to be in a world of hurt. it's totally okay to put in the request that whatever is used to shake or stir your drink be straight out of the dishwasher.